Sex generalisations and stereotypes.

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Introduction

English Language Coursework Investigation Introduction As early as 1847, women were described in terms of appearance rather than character traits or achievements, and this can be seen in Mr. Rochester's description of Blanche Ingram in 'Jane Eyre' (1847); "a strapper, a real strapper, Jane: big, brown, and buxom." This is a frequently used stereotypical view of women, and in my project I aim to discover whether this aspect of representation is still prevalent in the media of today. This subject appealed to me, especially the research by Jennifer Coates and Angela Goddard, which, although based on speech, provided some explanation for the widespread inference that women are subordinate to men. For example, it was found by Beiley and Time in 1976 that women use expletives far less in conversation than men, with the connotation that this trend is a result of women being gentler, and less aggressive than men, and therefore less powerful. However, this research was completed by Coates in 1982 and, since then, there have been few extensive studies of gender representation in the media. However, at present there is pressure on most aspects of society to be politically correct and non-sexist, and sexual equality is a standard expectation. Women are constantly discussed in a variety of media, including tabloid and broadsheet newspapers, and also 'teen magazines,' such as 'Mizz,' and 'J17,' aimed at girls from the age of 11 and onwards. Iconic women are often discussed in a variety of media, with examples ranging from Princess Diana to Madonna, although the way in which these figures are represented differs dramatically. ...read more.

From close examination of my data, the only similar example of this feature applied to a man was the News of the World's reference to "former choirboy Noel," with the term "choirboy" having connotations of innocence and vulnerability, in order to provoke audience empathy towards him, especially when this description in the context of the articles, which explains an argument between the group. Emotive language is extensively applied to women for a variety of purposes, throughout the media, and its use significantly influences the representation of women. Description of women in terms of appearance A popular language feature, which is often applied to the representation of women, is description in terms of appearance. This is the most common feature found in my data, and is used widely throughout a variety of media. Men, however, are usually described in terms of achievement, and/or career, such as "Full Monty star," in The Mirror, and "snooker ace," in the Sunday People. This non-parallel treatment was investigated by Miller and Swift in 1981, and despite changing attitudes towards gender roles; its use is still prevalent today. Examples of descriptions in terms of appearance that can be found in my data include The Mirror's reference to Sarah Parish, who "looks in fantastic shape, dressed in tight, black trousers and a tailored white shirt which show off her svelte figure." While the article is ostensibly about Sarah's break-up with Hugo Speer, as well as her acting career, a large proportion of it is unnecessary physical description, and this shows that, in the media, women are still objectified and defined in terms of appearance. The inference of this is that women are less dynamic and career-orientated than men, and that they have a more decorative role in society. ...read more.

As a result of this, representations of women in the media profoundly mirror that of a man's perspective or dreams of what the ideal woman should look like. I am always amazed and aghast at the misrepresentation of women in music videos and thirty minute sitcoms on TV.

However, it is not only how the children relate to the researcher, but how gender impacts on the researcher. Thorne identifies how she related more with the girls in her study; particularly when she observed incidents that reminded her of her own childhood.

Take for example Max's comment: 'A blond hot american in a place with 100 muslim men... What do you aspect [sic] will happen?' and junglesiren's remarks that, '...a display of cleavage is considered an open invitation for sex...and in a muslim country it's a practical demand,' which constructs the dramatic

The men face criminal charges under a section of Texas penal code, also dubbed the "Texas Homosexual Conduct Law" stating that "a person commits an offense if he engages in deviant sexual intercourse with another individual of the same sex."

(As illustrated in the occupation of Managers and administrators) (Function) argue more on hidden costs associated to women (pregnancy, and other problems, more exploration at the latter part of this paper) and show there is a gap of salary. (Function)

billboard chart at 2nd place. This shows youth are attracted to radical music that contains both misogynistic lyrics and sexual objectification of women (Hust & Lei, 2008, p.18). To worsen the situation, men are affirming hegemonic masculinity by ideologically legitimatising the global subordination of women to men forcing women to

p.1) The Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW) as part of the UN's charter on equality has been promoting changes for women and advocate for gender equality and empowerment, and in The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) discrimination against women was defined as "...any distinction, exclusion or restriction made on the